1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a device cooperation system where first and second devices cooperate together, and more particularly to an image processing apparatus, a device cooperation system, a service providing method, and a recording medium where one device provides information to the other device, the information being necessary for generating UI (User Interface).
2. Description of the Related Art
There are various office apparatuses such as printers and copier installed in offices. However, there may be a case where even in the same kind of the office apparatuses, operable functions may differ among the office apparatuses. For example, a user who operates an office apparatus A cannot use a function “b” which is not available in the office apparatus A. But if the user goes to an office apparatus B that has the function “b”, the user may use the function “b”.
There are many cases where those office apparatuses are connected to each other via a network. Therefore, to improve the convenience for the users, it is thought to provide a technique that allows a user to the function “b” of the office apparatus B by operating the office apparatus A. However, since the office apparatus A does not have the function “b” in the first place, the office apparatus A does not include the UI (User Interface) to use (operate) the function “b” of the office apparatus B.
To overcome the inconvenience, there has been known a technique to provide a UI so that a user operating an apparatus can use another apparatus (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-280731, hereinafter “Patent Document 1”). Patent Document 1 discloses a system in which a status of a target apparatus to be controlled is stored in a server in advance, and when a control apparatus transmits a request for receiving definition data of the UI of the target apparatus to the server, the server transmits the definition data to the control apparatus, so that the control apparatus may provide (display) the UI of the target device based on the definition data.
However, in the system disclosed by Patent Document 1, it may be possible for the control apparatus to display the UI to operate the target apparatus, but a common UI is always displayed regardless of the users. Namely, even when a user customizes the UI of the target apparatus beforehand, it is not possible to display the customized UI on the control apparatus.
Further, in Patent Document 1, there is another problem that no consideration has been made about the difference of the display capability between the apparatuses (i.e., the control apparatus and the target apparatus). Among the apparatuses having different functions, the display capability may differ. Therefore, without the consideration of the difference of the display capabilities of the apparatuses, the user operability may be degraded.